Published Reviews

Each review below, whether published originally on RateABiz or on Yelp, rated the Process / the Institute for Personal Change with five stars.

Published on RateABiz:

12/31/14

Ilana Krechmer

Newfound clarity and really useful tools

I am extraordinarily grateful to have done the Process, and am proud that one of my family members also just completed it. The Process helped me recognize patterns in my thinking and behavior that were not helping me to function well. I learned to sort the thoughts and feelings that are my own from those of my family and society. I also gained a much better understanding of what my own parents went through and how they came to be who they are, which allowed me to let go of some blame, resentment and tension I harbored. The combination of group and one-on-one work was great because I learned really different things from both kinds of sessions. Group was great because the work always felt like part of the real world so it was easy to employ in real life. One-on-one work was, not surprisingly, fabulously introspective. During the Process, I started to feel more present in my own life. I remember a day when I watched my cat walk, and he seemed somehow different – somehow more 3-dimensional and alive – and I think that’s because I was simply more present. Post-Process, my relationships with my parents and my husband have improved. I’ve also had two children, and can safely say that I use many of the tools I learned in the Process to parent them to the best of my ability.

12/31/14

Daniel Krechmer

Das Process = The Trial

It wasn’t an easy experience. It wasn’t even an experience that was easy to begin. Honestly, there was very little easy about it. It was a worthwhile time in my life that did change my perspective on my familial relationships very significantly. And, not to brag, but I’m also now the kid in the family that actually doesn’t have issues with my family, so there’s that. I’m a bit of a structure freak, I like things in order, and the process took my entire life prior and helped me place it in my own order in my head. The Process was the tool (still is the tool), but the tool was something I made myself that lets me continue to have the relationships with my family, my wife, and my children that I want. The teachers were fantastic, many deeply moving memories were created, and from that point on, I’ve felt like my own man, defined by my own choices. I would highly recommend the Process to anyone who feels that they need to find their own decisions, or want to raise their children without the weight of their parents on top of them.

12/9/14

Kristin Torok

Life changing.

The Process helped me uncover deeply rooted issues that were holding me back in many ways. The work has given me invaluable insights into my inner life and my relationships which allow me to live more consciously, with more choices and compassion. I’m truly grateful for The Process-I know my life will be richer.

12/7/14

Anonymous

Incredible Outcome!

The Process helped me choose the person I want to be. I’ve gotten almost rid off past patterns, and the ones I’ve kept, I’ve made peace with! Old toxic relationships have all gradually improved for the better thanks to my new chosen behavior and balanced outlook in life. Now, I enjoy to share love and to be loved. And, I don’t expect more than I deserve, either. It has taken some time to detect and re-work new patterns, but with patience, love and support, everything is possible! Make sure you give this gift to yourself and everything and everyone around will change by itself.

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you. I am glad to know that you are becoming the person you want to be. That is so powerful. Peace be with you.

12/1/14

s s (Entrepreneur and corporate executive)

Transformative 9 weeks

I joined the Process at first very skeptical but based on a very strong recommendation from a trusted friend of a friend. My skepticism continued even when I started but with time evaporated as the experiences I gained built faith in myself and the techniques the Process applies. The counselors are truly excellent and amazingly dedicated?it’s clearly a life’s mission for them and not a business. They are also highly experienced with over 20 -30 years of practical experience each. There was a lot of work, reflection and weekly writings but it was well worth the effort. The group that I did this work with also became very close as we worked through our obstacles together. I must say that I was doubtful at times even through the work whether I’d make it up the next hill and into the final stages. But somehow, through my intent, my counselor’s belief and persistence and the support of my group, I’d come out the other side very pleasantly surprised, and therefore with increased faith through experience. I couldn’t have asked for more?it was life changing and I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to put in the time and work.

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you S. You put in the time and effort to do the work, so congratulations on your life-changing outcome.

12/1/14

Lori Gortner

Tremendous experience

I tend to be a skeptic,but as time progressed, I’ve become convinced that this Process has benefits I would never have experienced had I not enrolled. I learned about my family of origin through enactments and writing in such a way that the knowledge seemed knew! I also learned tools with which I can transform old habits of mind into more beneficial and possibly more truthful ways of thinking. I highly recommend the Process. It is intense and helpful.

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you Lori. So glad we were able to dispel your skepticism, and that you had such a beneficial experience.

11/24/14

Jean

open mind

The one-day A Taste of Freedom Workshop is exactly that. Cris, the leader therapist, was excellent. The group exercises were simple yet each one resulted in meaningful, and often completely unexpected, revelations. Think getting the gift of subjectively seeing/feeling impactful moments during my childhood in which the adults were not setting particularly good examples and/or were (dysfunctionally) meeting their own needs instead of mine … then the discovery of my unwitting and habitual behavior as an adult that is related to those experiences, discovery of the sneaky way my psyche continues to help me try get my needs met today but instead continues to derail my life … then the insight into how easy it is to catch these stealthy habits in the moment, and choose different, better. The work of the workshop looked easy enough, and was, but at times it was very hard work because it’s the work of being absolutely radically honest with oneself. What’s really interesting is that at no time during the workshop did it feel unsafe to do so. I attribute this to skill of the workshop leader, Cris. Towards the end of the day, during a visualization exercise, I was flooded with a profound sense of gratitude for my childhood … followed by the extraordinary feeling that this is simple, this is doable … this is freeing. The process works.

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you Jean. So glad you had a positive experience.

11/23/1

Elaine B.

The Most Important Inner Work I Have Ever Undertaken

In 1974, I took the Process as a single parent, graduate student. It has made such a difference in my life, and in my parenting skills. I am a much happier person, more aware of my internal processes, and much more able to respond rather than react. I am able to have positive relationships with my children, my husband, my parents, and others since taking the Process. It basically changed how I view myself and the world around me. It is the best work I have ever done. In 1989, I joined the Board of Directors, and since 2003, I have volunteered as the Executive Director. I believe that the Process creates peace in the hearts of the participants, a peace that lasts over time.

11/23/14

Ken K.

A Better Relationship with My Son

My son took the Process a number of years ago and it made a significant positive change in our father/son relationship. As his dad I would tell him when I thought he was on the right track and when I thought he wasn’t. This wasn’t very desirable information to him. After the Process, his attitude to my rants changed completely. No longer did he lose it when I worried about his faults. He recognized the love in them as well as the reproof. Of course, as he changed so did I. I no longer needed to give him news he was already well aware of. Want to improve communication will your grown children? Suggest the Process. You will be very lucky if they say, “Yes.”

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you Ken. We would be happy to take any other referrals as well.

11/17/14

Joanie Ciardelli

It still lives in me, after 20 years!

I did the process 20 years ago, and I still feel the benefits of it. In a sense it was a roto-rootering of the challenges of my childhood so that I could get on with my life. My Dad passed away on the night that we were working deeply with our father stuff, so I missed that class? It was very helpful that I had a place afterwards to process that experience, which was so much easier than I would ever have expected because of that. In retrospect, I can say that the Process really helped me complete my childhood and start with a new perspective on life – much healthier, more present, and much more satisfying. And that continues all these 20 years later. I’m still grateful for the amazing opportunity the Process afforded me, with a wonderful support team, and I understand they are still there!

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Lovely review, Joanie. Thank you. It is wonderful how you were able to complete your childhood and get a new perspective. And yes, we are still here.

11/16/14

Nancy Carleton

Still profound and life-changing thirty-two years later!

I completed the Process offered by the Institute for Personal Change thirty-two years ago (1982), and it’s still something I draw upon to help me live life to the fullest. Highly recommended for those who want to take a giant leap forward in their personal growth. After doing the Process, I went to graduate school and became a licensed psychotherapist myself (retiring last year from my private practice of two-plus decades). I see the Process as offering in a short timeframe the benefits of many years’ worth of psychotherapy. And you gain valuable tools you can continue to use as you negotiate the twists and turns life offers up in the years afterward.

Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you Nancy. We are so glad that the Process was so life-changing for you. We would be happy to help any referrals you might send our way.

Published on Yelp

Note: These reviews are considered “not recommended” by Yelp because the reviewers have not written enough reviews on Yelp for Yelp to consider them reliable reviewers.

Lynne B., 10/25/14:

I took this process when I was 5 years sober and my life was falling apart at the seams. This program took me to new awareness about my life, my upbringing,
and unfinished family business that needed to be dealt with. As of this writing, I am sober for 29 years, and excited about my future. I continue to be challenged with illnesses like lymes disease, but use the tools I learned in the process to manuever these challenges. I was willing to do the work completely,and it paid off big time. What I liked best was the concentrated focus of the work, because I was able to stay with my feelings, until they changed for the better. This was much easier for me because I did not need any input from family members. I consider this work to be the most important thing I have done, since becoming sober. I highly recommend this. Take the leap, jump in with both feet, and make the decision to grow and improve your life. You will not regret it!

Christine W., 4/17/12

I discovered the Process by chance and I’m so glad that I did. I was going through a tough, lost time in my life, looking for answers. Doing the Process changed my life in so many ways I didn’t think was possible. It helped me gained a better understanding of who I was and how my childhood and upbringing impacted by “adult life”. Really opened up my eyes. I’ve done about 10 years of therapy on and off, here and there, and nothing was like the Process. Most therapy sessions are about an hour and would leave me wanting to say…but wait, I have more to say. The Process was a 9-week program that allowed you to get everything out and mostly of all it gave me tools to be a better person, to be a better parent and to open up so many doors to my life and all my relationships – professionally and personally. Great team of therapists. Thank you all!!!

Vera S., 4/17/12

I took The Process in 1989, and it was the single best intervention of my life. The Institute staff, consisting of licensed psychotherapists, has been working together about 35 years, and they have the methodology down. This time-limited program focused on family of origin issues is brilliant. Clients put in a LOT of hard work, but the results are every bit as and long-lasting. Other members of my family have also done it more recently, and they all swear by the results, too.